i've only just stopped laughing.. in my old hall there's a brother who's now claiming to be of the anointed.. he's 28.. i do wonder if he's doing this for attention, if he's awake and messing with them, or if he really is that deluded.
when i was in he was an ms. which surprised even me because only a year earlier than that he was "a bit of a lad", is rubbish at talks and relies on his elder uncle to get him out of trouble all the time.. i guess this now means he's get his pick of jw sisters.
he's been after the same one as the rest of his peers since 2014..
I keep wondering how long before Watchtower declares the 144k to be a symbolic number of a comparably small number of anointed in comparison to the great crowd. Being that likely that number would've been completely filled and then some in the first century, it would make "more" sense.
Then again, this was one of the most in-depth analysis I've ever read on the topic:
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/96705/144-000-great-crowd-revelation
first, a word about the watchtower’s financial position: nobody (outside the watchtower organization) knows.
the wtbs is not required to disclose its finances, and doesn’t.
we can speculate, but that is all we are doing.
This phenomena has played out so many times it is predictable. A cult declines, implodes or fractures, and smaller cults emerge. Or people leave one cult and join another. It happens even now. Unfortunately, some have ended their life because they couldn’t handle the loss of the belief system that they thought was “the Truth”.
However, it is in the greater long term good that the Watchtower declines and eventually collapses. Whatever group or groups or rebranding replace Watchtower, it will only have a hold over a fraction of the people Watchtower did.
It will provide a great opportunity for many to wake up. This is especially so for those who follow the routine, but with apathy or doubts. For some, this would be the final straw. Even if not everyone would wake up, more would wake up and find happiness in normal life than if nothing happened to Watchtower.
Unlike the times of Miller, and even with the early 90’s collapse of the Armstrong group, we live in the time of Google, Wikipedia, and all sorts of information assessable from every pocket. Once people overcome the fear that their cult puts into them about not googling, they can never unring that bell.
i've only just stopped laughing.. in my old hall there's a brother who's now claiming to be of the anointed.. he's 28.. i do wonder if he's doing this for attention, if he's awake and messing with them, or if he really is that deluded.
when i was in he was an ms. which surprised even me because only a year earlier than that he was "a bit of a lad", is rubbish at talks and relies on his elder uncle to get him out of trouble all the time.. i guess this now means he's get his pick of jw sisters.
he's been after the same one as the rest of his peers since 2014..
Perhaps he believes he is anointed because of mental or emotional problems. You know, just like the Governing Body.
the watchtower and moneycharles t. russell, the age of 13, joined the congregational church (dumped presbyterian).. he went (like girl scouts are sent out with cookies to sell) door to door to raise money for the church.. russell hated fund raising.
he had to ask poor people to part with their money.
he said he felt he was "fleecing the flock.".
Not to mention the Solon Society, which Russell lied about under oath.
if watchtower has no reason to df ones.
they have just become inactive.
do you all think wt will begin a witch hunt (df'ing) for these inactive ones?
As the organization declines over time, desperation might make their rule harsher as they attempt to cling to the reins, and they might.
i think this screen shot says it all... need i say more?.
.
Until the 1990's, JWs went to people's doorstep and sold magazines. Then the donation arrangement was introduced and JWs were encouraged to say the magazines were of "no charge", "but if you like to make a contribution to the world wide work" and thus solicit money, which went into an envelop that ultimately went to HQ. Of course, I could never bring myself to do this, but some JWs did follow through.
In effect, the "collection plate" is not passed at the Kingdom Hall, but has been passed from DOOR TO DOOR.
Which is better? A collection taken from fellow believers in the place where they gather to worship...or a collection taken from strangers who did not invite it?
i was told this when i was an aspiring jw, aka unbaptized publisher.
the above explanation didn't make sense to me then and it never did make sense throughout my jw career.
over time, it appeared to me the real purpose of field service time reporting was to gauge one's spirituality and for the ceo *cough* co to make sure the elders were on top of things during his visit..
JW encouragement = fear, obligation, guilt
once i left ,i was done.
in over 10 years i didn't return except for my mother's funeral.
did you ever re enter the kh after you left?.
Hell to the NO!
this is the first of a multi-part article that tells my story, and how ajwrb got started.. https://www.openmindsfoundation.org/saving-thousand-lives-year-reform-watchtowers-policy-blood-transfusions-part-one/.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBwKX-5qXT0&t=543s
I'm not too sure...it was likely the late 60's. Here is the video...he mentions John Dart around the nine minute mark.
i was told this during my judicial committee (some five years ago) when i brought up concerns i had with the "truth.
" in addition one of the elders (who was an engineer) said once you've accepted a proof of pythagorus' theorem you don't later start doubting that theorem.
i thought that argument was a weak analogy then.
The problem is I didn't prove it to be the truth through unbiased research. For instance, I didn't prove to myself about 607 and 1914, ect... I basically took the word of what was written in the Watchtower.
